Student-Artist Spotlight: Jared Leclaire

Jared Leclaire is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Stout studying studio art with a concentration in contemporary sculptural practices. Leclaire enjoys working with wood but is moving towards metals. He plans to attend graduate school at a larger university after graduation.

What sparked your interest in creating art?

I’m interested in the potential power that art holds. Art has spoken to us for thousands of years, it’s a tradition of expression and ideas. I value the ability of art speaking. Not the particulars of what is said in particular, but the harnessed potential to speak. That harnessed potential has unimaginable power, and that is what interests me.

Do you take influence from any artists or designers in particular? Who?

Michael Heizer and Richard Serra. Both artist work on large scale creating grand gestures. The work of these two involves the viewer to move around the piece to experience the work in a space. The way the viewer moves and exchanges space with the art is a critical consideration.

Are there any projects that stood out to you during your career at Stout?

“Siphoning God” and “Blue Collar” for sure. Siphoning God was a beautiful creation of pleading for answers from a higher power and the intimate interaction of the scene. Blue Collar was a commentary on the lifestyle of the workforce, drawing parallels between gestures and actions along with materials and moods.